Michael Pollan, Raj Patel head up new edible course

Less than two hours after tickets became available for Michael Pollan’s opening lecture on Monday Jan. 27 in the Edible Schoolyard Foundation’s new Edible Education 101 class, the event was full. Such is the popularity of this course, Edible Education 101: The Rise and Future of the Food Movement, now in its third year.

This year Berkeley omnivore, professor and author Pollan, is heading up the program along with author, activist, and filmmaker Raj Patel. The course consists of 13 lectures at UC Berkeley held weekly on Monday evenings, 6:30-8:30 p.m. through May 5.

Two hundred tickets for each of the course’s lecture are made available to the public for free. Advance ticketing is required and registration is opened a few days before each lecture.

Raj Patel. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Guest lecturers this year include Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society of the United States who will speak about animals in the food system; Brenda Eskenazi and Tyrone Hayes, both of Cal, who will discuss the chemistry and biology of the industrial food system; academic and human rights activist Olivier De Schutter, who will address the food wars across the globe; Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and Edible Schoolyard fame; and Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm.

Five hundred UC Berkeley students are registered for the course at both the undergrad and graduate level.

In tandem with this year’s Edible Education 101 course, UC Berkeley has announced Social Eats, a new community for young Bay Area post-grads, professionals, and advocates who want to learn more and share ideas at specially curated food education events. First up is a series of drinks gatherings and dinners in collaboration with Good Eggs and Comal restaurant in downtown Berkeley.

To find out more and to receive notifications of registrations, visit the Edible Schoolyard Foundation. And if you miss all the classes don’t worry, lectures will also be recorded and posted online for the public to view freely.

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